News & Views July 1

JULY MEMORY VERSE
"Give Praise to the Lord, Proclaim his name;
make known among the nations what he has done."
I Chronicles  16:8


JULY 4th WORSHIP and COMMUNION SERVICE
Connecting Point - 9:30 A.M. - Dining Hall
Worship  - 10:00 A.M. -  Family Center Gym and Online
Johnny Esposito preaching: "You Feed Them: It is Our Responsibility."
NLC Kids - 10:00 A.M. - Rooms 101,103

Expect the Unexpected: It is God’s Plan. Those words have been ruminating in my mind since Stan R. Isaac spoke them this past Sunday. His sermon, no doubt was personal and touched us all. Many of us experienced his hardships firsthand and were there to walk alongside him. While others, particularly our new members (Including myself) heard his story for the first time.

After service, I came home exhausted and hit my knees. Touched by the message, I asked God to teach me to be flexible. Pastor Mark was gone on vacation, we had our Grab & Go Meal distribution, we were doing VBS pre-registration and as the Community Strategies Director, I was feeling a little stretched.  

But oh boy, God must have thought I really needed that prayer of flexibility answered. Immediately after praying the prayer, Boaz came barging into my bedroom unannounced. There I was tired and wanted to be alone in prayer, “if I could just have one minute” I yelled.  
It was then that I realized that I could either be upset or I could readjust my perspective and choose to be flexible.  

Oftentimes, when our prayers are being answered, we gripe and complain because they are not being answered in a way that we are accustomed to.  
This little boy, whom the Lord had given me after years of trying to conceive and fertility treatments, he just wanted his daily cuddles. I was denying him his daily cuddles. He wanted his daily cuddles and I seen it as a disruption.  

If I am being honest, it was an inconvenience. I did not want to shift my perspective; I did not want to stop what I was doing. I could have produced every excuse to justify my feelings. “He should have known better than to come in unannounced.”

But sometimes if we do not shift our perspective and see things through our spiritual eyes, we can miss the very thing that God is trying to teach us. In this instance, it was God reminding me of his faithfulness. I have faced mountains bigger than the one that I was facing that day.  

Pastor Mark would be back on Sunday, and things would go on as usual. But that miracle, God opening my womb and blessing me with Boaz, was standing right in front of me. I almost missed it.  It was a reminder to me that the unexpected is all part of God’s plan, I just needed to be flexible.

My Prayer for You:

A Prayer of Flexibility

Dear Jesus,
We Praise you for your goodness and mercy and thank you for the example of flexibility in your life. You tailored your message so Your Truth could  be understood by who you were teaching. Guide us to be patient and flexible when plans change and not be stubborn. Remind us to accept the things we cannot change and to be open to new and different experiences. Teach us to learn from our mistakes and to anticipate and prepare for change. Help us to act in all things in harmony with the will of the Father. Amen - Jill Tomey

In your service, Cece Olea.

We have about 40 children pre-registered for VBS!!
If you would like to volunteer either your time
or purchasing snacks, please contact Jessica Aquino
jessica@newlifedinuba.org

Thanks to your generous donations our Home Resource Center
was able to furnish another family's home!
Thank you Carolyn Ehoff & Phyllis Enns for your leadership.